COVID-19 Interim Vaccination Plan V.5 Pennsylvania PA COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force/PA Department of Health JANUARY 19, 2021 |VERSION 5.0 PENNSYLVANIA COVID-19 INTERIM VACCINATION PLAN Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2 Section 1: COVID-19 Vaccination Preparedness Planning ......................................................................... 3 Section 2: COVID-19 Organizational Structure and Partner Involvement ................................................. 4 Section 3: Phased Approach to COVID-19 Vaccination ........................................................................... 11 Section 4: Critical Populations ................................................................................................................. 17 Section 5: COVID-19 Provider Recruitment and Enrollment ................................................................... 21 Section 6: COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Capacity ........................................................................... 25 1. Health and Medical Infrastructure .......................................................................................... 25 2. Occupational Health Clinics and Closed Points of Dispensing (PODs) ..................................... 26 3. Expanded Outreach to Ensure Vaccine Access ........................................................................ 27 4. Staffing ..................................................................................................................................... 27 Section 7: COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation, Ordering, Distribution, and Inventory Management ............. 28 Section 8: COVID-19 Vaccine Storage and Handling................................................................................ 32 Section 9: COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Documentation and Reporting ........................................ 34 Section 10: COVID-19 Vaccination Second-Dose Reminders .................................................................. 36 Section 11: COVID-19 Requirements for IISs or Other External Systems ................................................ 36 Section 12: COVID-19 Vaccination Program Communication ................................................................. 39 Section 13: Regulatory Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination .......................................................... 44 Section 14: COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Monitoring ................................................................................... 45 Section 15: COVID-19 Vaccination Program Monitoring ......................................................................... 48 Appendices50 Appendix 1 – Mass Vaccination Clinic Flow Chart ................................................................................... 51 Appendix 2 – Mass Vaccination Clinic Staffing ........................................................................................ 52 Appendix 3 – Vaccine Task Force Organizational Chart .......................................................................... 53 Appendix 4 – Vaccine A Storage and Handling Guide ............................................................................. 54 Appendix 5 – Vaccine A Vaccination Provider Site Archetypes for Shipment Timing and Site Planning 55 Appendix 6 – Vaccine B Storage and Handling Guide ............................................................................. 57 Appendix 7 – CDC Supplemental COVID-19 Vaccine Redistribution Agreement .................................... 58 Appendix 8 - COVID-19 Vaccine Hospital Decision Tool for Phase 1A………………………………………………….60 1 | P a g e INTERIM PLAN PENNSYLVANIA COVID-19 INTERIM VACCINATION PLAN Introduction The Pennsylvania Department of Health has developed the COVID-19 Interim Vaccination Plan to inform Pennsylvanians about the plan for vaccination in Pennsylvania. This plan follows the blueprint set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding a COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. This is an interim plan which is being continuously updated to reflect the latest recommendations from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Operation Warp Speed (OWS), and other guidance available and feedback received. Getting Pennsylvanians immunized with a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is an essential step in reducing the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (Department or DOH) guides the distribution and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine throughout 66 of the 67 counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia County receives independent federal funding, its own vaccine allotment, and has established its own COVID-19 vaccination administration plan. The Department's goals are to prioritize persons, while the vaccine supply remains limited, who receive the vaccine to maximize benefits and minimize harms caused by the virus, promote justice, mitigate health inequities, and promote transparency. For the most up-to-date information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, visit the vaccine section of the website. 2 | P a g e INTERIM PLAN PENNSYLVANIA COVID-19 INTERIM VACCINATION PLAN Section 1: COVID-19 Vaccination Preparedness Planning Instructions: A. Describe your early COVID-19 vaccination program planning activities, including lessons learned and improvements made from the 2009 H1N1 vaccination campaign, seasonal influenza campaigns, and other responses to identify gaps in preparedness. This Interim plan is provided as guidance for distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccine throughout 66 of the 67 counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and its public and private partners. Philadelphia County receives independent federal funding, its own vaccine allotment, and has established its own COVID-19 vaccination administration plan. Prior to the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations, the COVID-19 Vaccine Planning Workgroup drafted a COVID-19 Vaccine plan based upon the 2009 H1N1 plan. Based on the playbook and the draft plan, planning gaps were identified and a spreadsheet was developed to track the completion of the plan’s gaps. This interim plan will continue to be updated as more information is made available and plans are further developed. B. Include the number/dates of and qualitative information on planned workshops or tabletop, functional, or full-scale exercises that will be held prior to COVID-19 vaccine availability. Explain how continuous quality improvement occurs/will occur during the exercises and implementation of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program. The goal of the interim COVID-19 vaccination plan is to provide a transparent strategy to vaccinate all Pennsylvanians who want to be vaccinated so that Pennsylvanians can return to everyday activities as quickly and safely as possible. In order to meet this goal, DOH will utilize multiple methods dependent on the availability of vaccine doses. One of the methods DOH plans on using when there are large numbers of vaccine doses available is Mass Vaccination Clinics (MVCs). MVCs will account for physical distancing and adhere to a systematic flow, as seen in Appendix 1. When there are large numbers of vaccine doses available, DOH will utilize COVID-19 MVCs to provide vaccines to the general population in a coordinated, orderly, and efficient manner to help slow or stop the spread of COVID-19 within the community. These MVCs will implement the standard Incident Command System as seen in the MVC Staffing Organizational Chart (Appendix 2). 3 | P a g e INTERIM PLAN PENNSYLVANIA COVID-19 INTERIM VACCINATION PLAN The Public Health Preparedness Coordinators (PHPCs), in collaboration with the Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs), have arranged for one MVC in each county. Locations will be identified in collaboration with the Department’s District Health Offices, PHPCs, County EMAs, and other stakeholders. In preparation for receipt of COVID-19 Vaccine, DOH utilized influenza MVCs to test its COVID- 19 Plans, including its MVC registration and scheduling software (PrepMod). Understanding the importance of testing counties of varied sizes, the Department conducted four influenza MVCs in the following counties on the following dates: Blair County (first responders only) – October 10, 2020 Carbon County – October 24, 2020 Delaware County – October 7, 2020 & October 8, 2020 Sullivan County – October 17, 2020 Once the MVCs were completed, DOH conducted evaluations and prepared an After-Action Report within 14 days of MVC completion. The After-Action Report addressed the following: • Problems and successes during the operation; • Analysis of the effectiveness of the response organization’s components; and • Description and definition of a plan of action for implementation of improvements. The Incident Command System (ICS) approach to the use of After-Action Reports emphasizes the improvement of emergency management at all levels. All staff are encouraged to provide feedback during the After-Action Report process. DOH issues After-Action Reports to identify gaps and deficiencies in its plans. To further DOH’s outreach, the Department is planning on using mobile vaccination units in underserved communities to provide direct access to vaccines among populations that may otherwise be excluded. DOH plans on utilizing these mobile units to administer influenza vaccine in conjunction